Ammunition feeders for automatic guns



y 1961 P. H. DIXON AMMUNITION FEEDERS FOR AUTOMATIC GUNS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 9, 1946 fiwentor Paul H Dixon x I a I l 1 I n x h I I I 1 I .l

y 1961 P. H. DIXON 2,986,074

AMMUNITION FEEDERS FOR AUTOMATIC GUNS Filed Dec. 9, 1946 4 Sheds-Sheet 2 May 30, 1961 P. H. DIXON 2,985,074

AMMUNITION FEEDERS FOR AUTOMATIC cums FilBd DEC. 9, 1946 Sh eets-Sheet 3 H Dix y 30, 1961 P. H. DIXON 2,986,074

AMMUNITION FEEDERS FOR AUTOMATIC GUNS Filed Dec. 9, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 in I m0 VAEl/l/ "IV/1 62 Inventor Pau/ f1 DI'X AMMUNITION FEEDERS FOR AUTOMATIC GUNS Paul H. Dixon, Rockford, Ill., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 9, 1946, Ser. No. 715,079

8 Claims. (Cl. 8933) This invention relates to ordnance and is illustrated as embodied in an improved ammunition feeder for an automatic gun, such as that disclosed in an application for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 721,058, filed January 9, 1947 in my name.

The various features of the invention are fully disclosed hereinafter and will be understood and appreciated from the following detail description of one embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side view, partly broken away and partly in section, of feed mechanism of the illustrative gun which is fully disclosed in said application Serial No. 721,058;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the feed mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view in section on line IIIIlI of Fig. 6;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views on lines IVIV, VV and VIVI respectively of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a rear view of a portion of the feed box;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section of a portion of the feed box on line VIIIVIII of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a cartridge which is assembled in a link belt about to be stripped from said belt.

The illustrative ammunition feeder, which forms part of the 37 mm. gun disclosed in said application Serial No. 721,058, comprises a rack 30 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) formed at the upper portion of a barrel extension 32 into which is screwed a barrel 34 (Fig. 1) of the gun. The barrel extension 32 is slidingly mounted for recoil and counter-recoil movement in a receiver 36 (Figs. 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8), the barrel being partly guided for reciprocation by a spring housing assembly 38 forming in eifect a forward extension of said receiver. Clamped between a shoulder of the receiver 36 and the spring housing assembly 38 is a trunnion block 40 supported upon a mount or turret 42.

Mounted on the receiver 36 over and extending into an elongated opening 44 (Figs. 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8) formed in the top of said receiver is a feed box 46 which has at its forward end locating ribs 48 (Figs. 1 and 2) (only one shown), underlapping the top of the receiver, and which has at its rear end a locking latch 50 pivoted to said box at 52 (Fig. 1) and constantly urged clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 1, by a spring-pressed plunger 54 carried by the feed box. The feed box 46 may be quickly and eifectively mounted upon the receiver by positioning the ribs 48 under the top of the receiver and, after moving the latch 50 counterclockwise to permit its hooked lower end to enter the receiver, releasing said latch to permit it to be forced against the inside wall of the receiver by the spring-pressed plunger 54.

As fully disclosed in said application Serial No. 721,- 058, when'the gun is fired the barrel 34 and its extension 32 move longitudinally in recoil approximately 4 /2 Patented May 30, 1961 inches in the receiver against the action of heavy springs (not shown) and quickly return to battery position under the action of said springs. A slider 56 (Fig. 1) and a bolt 58 carried by the slider are unlocked from the barrel extension 32 near the end of their recoil movement with said extension, and under blowback action of a case 60 of a fired cartridge 62 against the bolt, and rearward force supplied by gas-operated pistons 64 (Fig. 1) (only one shown), operating against the slider, move rearward in recoil approximately 21 inches against a buffer plate 66 of a reaction unit 67. While the barrel 34 and its extension 32 are in battery position, a cartridge or round 62 is delivered to the receiver 36 into a cradled or ramming position, such as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 7, a rocker 68 (Fig. 1), which constitutes a combined extractor and rammer and is pivotally mounted upon the bolt, engaging the rear end of the cradled round, during counter-recoil movement of the bolt, and cooperating with mechanism, which will be described later, to cause said round to be chambered.

Rotatably mounted in bearings 70 (Figs. 1 and 3) of the feed box 46 is a shaft 72 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) to Which is secured a pair of feeder drive gears 74 having teeth meshing with teeth of the rack 30. Splined on the shaft 72 and held against one of the gears 74 by a snap ring 76 (Fig. 3) is a bevel gear 78 which meshes with a clutch bevel gear 80 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) rotatably mounted upon the forward end of a spring feed shaft 82. A cylindrical portion of the bevel gear 80 is rotatably supported in a roller bearing 84 in a clutch bearing bracket 86 secured to and forming part of the feed box 46. Interposed between the cylindrical portion of the bevel gear 80 and a feed spring winding sleeve 88 mounted for rotation upon the shaft 82 is a conventional sprag clutch 90 for moving the sleeve counterclockwise, as viewed from the rear, in response to recoil action of the barrel extension 32, the gear 80 during counter-recoil of the barrel extension 32 being moved clockwise, as viewed from the rear, with relation to the sleeve 88 which is held against retraction by a sprag clutch 92 (Figs. 2 and 3) interposed between the sleeve and the clutch bearing bracket 86.

Rotatably mounted upon the sleeve 88, and in engagement with a spacer disk 94 secured by screws 96 (Fig. 3) to the bearing bracket 86, is a spring drum end 98 (Figs. 2, 3 and 5) upon which is mounted a spring drum 100. The spring drum 100 has secured to it, as best shown in Fig. 5, an outer end of a feed drive spring 102, an inner end of said spring being attached to the sleeve 88. The rear end of the drum 100 fits into slots 104 (Figs. 2 and 3) of a coupling or clutch drive sleeve 106 which is rotatably mounted upon a plate 108 (Fig. 3) and has secured to it friction plates 110 arranged in interspersed relation with friction plates 112 secured to a coupling or clutch hub 114 fixed for rotation with the feed spring shaft 82. A coupling or clutch represented by reference numeral 107 may be said to comprise driving and driven members 106, 114 respectively, and the drum 100 may be considered as part of. the driving member.

It will be clear that counterclockwise rotation of the gear 80, as viewed from the rear, causes the shaft 82 to rotate counterclockwise thereby powering or winding up the spring 102 and rotating with it the feed spring drum 100 and, through the friction clutch or coupling formed by the driving and driven friction disks 110, 112 forming part of a friction disk drive, the clutch hub 114. The disks 112 of the hub 114 are constantly forced against the disks 110 of the sleeve 106 by a bushing 116 (Figs. 2 and 3) slidable on the feed shaft 82 and backed up by a strong spring 118 (Fig. 3), the rear end of which engages a feed sprocket 120 (Figs. 2, 3 and 6) fluted for receiving splines 122 on said shaft and having its rear end in engagement with a snap ring 124 secured in slots of the splines.

The sprocket 120 is provided with three circumferen tially spaced sets of teeth 126 (Figs. 2 and 6) shaped and arranged to enter openings of the links 128 (Figs. 6 and 9) connecting cartridge receiving clips 130 of an ammunition belt 132 which is moved from right to left as viewed from the rear of the gun along a chute 133 (Fig. 6), the cartridges being successively extracted from the belt and fed into the receiver 36 by mechanism which will be hereinafter described. It is desirable that the sprocket 120 be actuated intermittently to cause, through mechanism described later, another cartridge to be fed into the cradled or ramming position illustrated in Fig. 1 ready to be chambered by the rocker 68 as soon as the preceding cartridge has left such position. Although the invention is described with reference to an ammunition belt 132 which moves from right to left, as viewed from the rear of the gun, it will be understood that the belt may be moved in a reverse direction, in which case the various parts of the feed box would be reversed.

The feed drive spring 102 is intermittently wound by the recoil action of the barrel extension 32 and, through the friction plates 110, 112 constantly urges the sprocket 120 counterclockwise, as viewed from the rear to feed the cartridges in the belt 132 along the chute 133.

The spring 102 is of suitable construction to supply the necessary power, when the shaft 82 is released for rotation as will be explained later, to operate the ammunition belt 132 (Figs. 6 and 9) and to cause the cartridge 62 to be extracted from the belt and to be delivered through mechanism hereinafter described, from a transfer position into the cradled position shown in Fig. l in the receiver 36. In order to prevent overwinding of the spring 102 the construction of the disk clutch is such that when the spring 102 is fully wound and shaft 82 is locked, by mechanism hereinafter described, further counterclockwise movement of the sleeve 88, as viewed from the rear, will cause the disks 110 to slip with relation to the disks 112.

As each of the cartridges 62 in the belt travels around a corner 134 (Figs. 2, 6, 7 and 9) of one of ways 136, 136a formed integral with tray portions 138, 1380; respectively, which assist in supporting the cartridge in its cradled position, front and rear strippers 140', 142 (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9), which collectively may be referred to as a stripper, enter recesses 144 (Fig. 9) of the clip 130 carrying the leading cartridge to strip said cartridge from the clip. The tray portions 1338, 138a form and may be defined as a tray. At the same time the cartridge 62 is drawn against front'and rear presser members or feet 146, 148 (Figs. 1, 2, 3and 8), which engage the projectile 152 and the case 60 of the cartridge 62 respectively, causing said feet, which themselves are flexible, to yield upward or to climb over each of the cartridges against spring actuated mechanism hereinafter described. When the leading cartridge 62 being stripped from the belt 132 has been moved to a position in which its case 60 is centralized above the opening 44 in the receiver and above the tray 138, 138a, and the projectile 152 is centralized above spaced guide brackets 154, 156 (Figs. 2, 3 and 8) between which the projectile 152 can be moved, the energized front and rear Presser feet 146, 148 force the cartridge to its cradled or ramming position, shown in Figs. 1, 2,3 and 7, the case of the cartridge resting upon the tray 138, 138a and the front end of said case being supported upon a cartridge support or finger 158 (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 8).

It is desirable to stop movement of thebelt 132 when the leading cartridge has been stripped therefrom, the belt remaining locked against movement while the cartridge is being thrust into its cradled position by'the presser feet 146,148 and until said cartridge has been moved away from said cradled position by the rocker 68 during movement of the bolt 58 in counter-recoil. Accordingly, there is provided a feed bar or abutment 160 (Figs. 2, 3, 6 and 7) which, through suitable control mechanism, is moved in response to movement of the leading cartridge into its cradled or ramming position to cause the sprocket 120 to be locked against movement. Such mechanism comprises a clutch or lock 162 (Figs. 2 and 3) including a recessed collar 164, which is fixed to the feed spring shaft 82 and a jaw slide 166 slidingly mounted for movement on splines of a bushing 168 (Figs. 2, 3 and 7) mounted upon the rear end of said shaft and fixed in a bracket 170 secured by screws 172 (Fig. 7) to the feed box 46.

Pivotally mounted upon fulcrum pins 174 (Figs. 2, 3 and 7) threaded into the way 136a are bell-crank levers 176, 177. Pivotally connected to the rear ends of the bell-crank levers 176, 177 is the feed bar 160 which is movable generally lengthwise of the belt 132 and has a face 178 constructed and arranged to be engaged by cases 60 of the cartridges 62 approaching and arranged in the tray 138, 138a. Transversely extending arms of the bell-crank levers 176, 177 are pivoted to the opposite ends respectively of a shifter connecting link 180 slidable in a bore of a stop 182 (Figs. 2 and 3) secured to the way 136a, a spring 184 surrounding a portion of the link and having its front and rear ends in engagement with the stop 182 and with a flange 186 (Fig. 3) of the link. The laterally extending arm of the bell-crank lever 177 is bifurcated and carries pins 188 (Figs. 2 and 3) (only one shown) extending into a circumferential slot 190 (Fig. 3) of the jaw slide 166 of the clutch 162. The spring 184 normally urges the bell-crank levers '176, 177 counterclockwise, as viewed in Fig. 3, the construction and arrangement being such that when the cartridge 62 is moved forward and downward away from its cradled position by the rocker 68, the spring 184 moves the feed bar 160 to the right, as viewed from the rear, causing jaws of the slide 166 to be withdrawn from recesses of the collar 164 thereby permitting the feed drive spring 102, which together with associated parts may be referred to as a spring motor, to rotate the sprocket 120 counterclockwise, as viewed from the rear, thereby moving the leading cartridge in the belt 132 against the strippers 140, 142 preparatory to moving the cartridge to its cradled position as above described. After the advancing cartridge 62 has engaged the feed bar 160, it moves the bar to the left, as viewed from 'the rear, the construction and arrangement being such that when the cartridge has been moved to its cradled or ramming position the teeth of the slide 166 are in interlocking engagement with the recesses of the collar 164, thereby stopping all further rotation of the feed spring shaft 82. Recoil movement of the barrel extension 32 acting through the above-described drive upon the feed spring 102 is such that the spring is at all times well wound to supply the necessary power to drive the belt 132, the construction and arrangement of the friction disks 1 10, 112, as above explained, being such that whenever the shaft 82 is locked by the clutch 162 and the spring 102 has been wound to its limit, the disks 110 will rotate with relation to the disks 112.

The front and rear strippers 140, 142 are pi-votally mounted upon pins 192 (Figs. 2, 3 and 6) carried by a bracket 194 secured by screws 196 (Fig 6) to the feed box 46. Each of the strippers 140, 142.is held in its idle position in'which a depending portion thereof is in engagement with the bracket 194, by a spring-pressed plunger 200 housed in a recess 202 of the bracket. As leading wedge-shaped ends of the strippers 140, 142 enter the recesses 144 (Fig. 9) in the clips 130 they pivot slightly upon the pins 192 against the action of the spring-pressed plungers 200 and tend slightly to raise the 'clips out of g which the cartridges are being forced by the 'front'and rear presser feet 146, 148. In order to assist in controlling rnovement of the ammunition belt 132 there is secured by screws 204 (Figs. 1 and 6) to the feed box 46 a cartridge link guide 206 (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6) which is arranged between opposite plates 208 (Fig. 9) of the clips.

The front and rear presser feet 146, 148, which are preferably made of stiff spring steel, are clamped by screws 210, 212 respectively (Figs. 1 and 2) to a rod or carrier 214 (Figs. 1, 2 and 8) rotatably mounted in bearings 216 secured to the feed box 46. The presser feet 146, 148 are normally held in their lowered positions by a plunger 218 which is slidingly mounted in a housing 220 secured to the feed box 46 and operates against an arm 222 secured to the rod 214, the plunger being moved to the right as viewed in Figs. 2 and 8 by one or more rods 224 which are fixed to the plunger and which are slidable in bores of the housing and are constantly acted upon by springs 226, the front ends of said springs being in engagement with the rods 224, and the rear ends of the springs being in engagement with the rear ends of said bores. Movement of the plunger 218, under the action of the springs 226, is limited by the engagement of collars 228 (Fig. 2) carried by rods 224 with an outside face of the housing 220.

As the advancing cartridge 62 engages the presser feet 146, 148 it raises said feet which bend slightly and also rotate against the action of the spring-pressed plunger 218, the cartridge, during such time, being extracted from the belt 132 and moving around the corner 134 of the way 136 and into the opening formed between the round guiding brackets 154, 156 until downward movement of the cartridge is stopped by the tray 138, 1380: and the cartridge supporting fin er 158. The finger 158 is rotatably mounted upon a pin 230 (Figs. 1, 3 and 8) threaded into a bracket 232 secured by screws 234 (Fig. 8) to the feed box 46, said finger being positioned between a flange of the bracket and a nut 238 (Fig. 2) threaded onto a portion of reduced diameter of the pin. The finger 158, which may be defined as rotatable about an axis extending generally height-wise of the feed box and arranged at one side of a cartridge about to be chambered, is normally so positioned that a face 240 thereof is engaged by the forward portion of the case 60 of the cartridge 62 in its cradled or ramming position, the finger assisting the tray 138, 138a in supporting the cartridge in such position. The finger 158 is constantly urged to its cartridge-supporting position shown in the drawings with a lug 242 (Figs. 3 and 8) which extends from it in engagement with a stop 244 on the bracket 232, by a spring 248 which is initially tensioned and has its upper and lower ends attached to the bracket 232 and to the finger 158 respectively. It will thus be apparent that when the cartridge 62 is moved forward by the rocker 68, which as above explained serves as a rammer and also as an extractor, the finger 158 is swung counterclockwise as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3 against the action of the spring 248 with the result that, during said forward movement, the forward end of the cartridge is permitted to drop as it is cammed down by the guide. brackets 154, 156 as will now be explained. It will be noted that the guide brackets 154, 156 are provided with cam or deflecting surfaces 250, 252 (Fig. 8) which extend downward as they extend forward and which when engaged by the cartridge moved forward by the rocker 68, deflect the nose of said cartridge downward. During forward movement of the cartridge 62 the finger 158, engaged by a frusto-conical surface 254 (Figs. 2 and 3) of the case 60 of the cartridge 62, is swung forward thereby permitting the nose of the cartridge to drop at the proper time as it is deflected downward by the cam surfaces 258, 252 of the brackets 154, 156. When the cart ridge has been moved away from the finger 158, said finger swings back to its idle position under the action of the spring 248. During forward movement of the cartridge 62 in the receiver 36, the presser feet 146, 148 continue to apply downward pressure against the cartridge and cooperate with the various cartridge engaging parts above described, in chambering said cartridge.

It is desirable that the clutch 162 remain engaged after the last cartridge 62 in the belt 132 has been moved from its cradled or ramming position by the rocker 68 since otherwise the feed drive spring 102 would fully unwind and there would be no energy available in said spring to feed cartridges of the succeeding belt into the receiver 36. In order to retain the feed bar in the position shown in the drawings, after the last cartridge of a run of cartridges in the belt 132 has been moved to its cradled position, there is provided a feed bar latch or detent 256 (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 7) which is pivotally mounted upon a fulcrum pin 258 (Figs. 2, 3 and 7) carried by the stop shaft supporting bracket and is constantly urged downward by a leaf spring 260 (Fig. 7) secured at its upper end to said bracket. The latch 256 has a curved upwardly extending face 262 which is engaged by a cartridge as it advances toward the corner 134 of the way 136 with the result that the latch is moved to its idle dash-dot position shown in Fig. 7, a shoulder 264 of the latch then being spaced above the front face 178 of the feed bar 160. When the last round in the belt 132 has been moved to its cradled or ramming position, the latch 256, under the action of the leaf spring 260, remains in its full-line active or operative position shown in Fig. 7 and consequently the feed bar 160, thus held by the latch, retains the clutch 162 closed and prevents unwinding of the feed drive spring 102. When the leading cartridge in the following belt 132 engages the latch 256, the latch is raised thereby permitting the feed bar 160 to move under the action of the spring 184 to disengage the clutch 162 and thus permitting feeding movement of the sprocket 120.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an ammunition feeder for an automatic gun, a spring, a member energized by said spring, means actuated by recoil action of the gun for powering said spring, a sprocket for driving a belt of cartridges, a friction disk drive and mechanism associated therewith for operatively connecting said member to said sprocket, a lock for securing said mechanism against movement, an abutment movable to an active position in response to movement of a leading cartridge from said belt for rendering said lock effective in securing said mechanism and accordingly the sprocket against movement, a detent for holding the abutment in its active position, and a receiver, said detent being constructed and arranged to be engaged by a cartridge following said leading cartridge in the process of being delivered to a cradled position in the receiver to retain said detent in an idle position until such time as the last cartridge in the belt is being fed into said cradled position and thereafter to secure the abutment in its active position to insure against movement of the sprocket and accordingly said belt after the last cartridge in said belt has been delivered to its cradled position.

2. In combination with an automatic gun which has a receiver, an ammunition feeder comprising a feed box, spring actuated means for delivering cartridges mounted in a belt successively to the feed box, control means movable to a locking position in response to movement of a leading cartridge, which has been stripped from said belt and is being delivered to a cradled position in the receiver, for rendering said spring-actuated means inoperative, said control means also being movable to a retracted position in response to movement of said stripped cartridge from its cradled position to permit cartridge delivering movement of said spring-actuated means again to be rendered operative, and a detent constructed and arranged to be actuated by a cartridge which is in the belt and follows said stripped cartridge, said detent being constructed and arranged to secure said control means in locking position when a last cartridge from the belt is in and has been moved from its cradled position in the receiver, thereby insuring against movement of the spring-actuated means until such time as a cartridge from another belt is delivered to the feed box.

3. In an ammunition feeder for an automatic gun, a feed box, a belt for delivering cartridges successively to said feed box, spring-energized means for operating said belt, means for stripping cartridges successively from said belt and delivering them to a predetermined position in said feed box, mechanism movable to an active position in response to movement of the cartridges delivered successively to said predetermined position for rendering said spring-energized means inoperative, and a latch constructed and arranged to lock said mechanism in said active position between the time that the last cartridge in the belt is being delivered to said predetermined position and the time that a leading cartridge in a succeeding belt is being introduced into the feed box against said latch.

4. In an ammunition feeder for an automatic gun, a feed box, means for successively feeding cartridges in a belt to the feed box, a tray constructed and arranged to be engaged by the rear portions of cases of said cartridges, a spring actuated support constructed and arranged to be engaged by the forward portions of the cases of said cartridges, a rammer for chambering said cartridges, strippers for removing said cartridges from the belt as they are delivered to the feed box, springs for successively forcing the stripped cartridges against the tray and the support to position such cartridges preparatory to ramming them forward into the barrel of the gun, and a pair of guides arranged at opposite sides of the projectiles of said cradled cartridges, said guides having surfaces which extend downward and forward and are constructed and arranged to deflect the forward ends of the cartridges downward as they are moved forward by said rammer, said support being mounted for rotation about an axis extendinggenerally heightwise of the feed box and arranged at one side of the cartridges and being constructed and arranged to yield under forward pressure of the cartridges and laterally of the cartridges and in cooperation with guides to control the cartridges as they are chambered by the rammer.

5. In an automatic gun, a receiver, a barrel and a barrel extension mounted for recoil and counter-recoil movement in said receiver, a feed box secured to the receiver, a sprocket for delivering cartridges in a belt to the feed box, means for stripping the cartridges successively from the belt and delivering them to a ramming position, a friction coupling comprising driving and driven members, a oneway drive member movable in response to recoil movement of the barrel extension, a spring one end of which is attached to the driving member of the coupling and the other end of which is attached to said one-way driving member, resilient means, an abutment which is moved against the action of said resilient means by a cartridge being delivered to its ramming position in the feed box, and a lock movable in response to movement of the abutment for securing the sprocket and the driven member of the coupling against movement, said abutment being moved under the action of said resilient means, when the cartridge has been moved from its ramming position, to an inactive position, thereby permitting movement of the driven member of the coupling and accordingly the sprocket under the driving action of the spring.

6. In an automatic gun, a feed box, an energized spring, means comprising a sprocket and a friction coupling including a driving member operatively connected to the spring and a driven member operatively connected to the sprocketfor moving cartridges assembled in a belt into the feed box and for removing them successively from the belt and delivering them to a ramming position in the feed box, an abutment which is movable to an active position in response to movement of a cartridge to said ramming position in the feed box, and means responsive to'rnovernent of said abutment to its active position for locking said driven member of the friction coupling to insure against movement of the sprocket under the action of said spring, said last-named means also being responsive to movement of the abutment away from said active position for disconnecting said abutment from the driven member of the coupling to permit the sprocket to be driven through the friction coupling by said spring.

7. In an automatic gun, a receiver, a barrel and a barrel extension mounted for longitudinal movement in the receiver, a feed box secured to the receiver, a movable abutment, a stripper, means for successively moving cartridges assembled in a belt against said stripper and thereafter against the abutment into a ramming position preparatory to chambering the cartridge in the barrel, a spring which is energized by recoil movement of the barrel and the barrel extension, a friction coupling having a driving member operatively connected to the spring and having a driven member operatively connected to said means, and mechanism for locking the driven member of the friction coupling against movement when the abutment is in an active position and for permitting the driven member of the friction coupling to be moved by said driving member of said coupling actuated by the spring when the abutment is in a retracted position, thereby' permitting said means to feed a cartridge in the belt into its ramming position.

8. In an automatic gun, a tray and a finger constructed and arranged to be engaged by the rear and forward ends respectively of a case of a cartridge to support said cartridge in a cradled position, a pair of guides arranged at opposite sides of the projectile of the cradled cartridge, a rammer movable forward against the rear end of the cradled cartridge, said guides having surfaces respectively which extend downward and forward and are constructed and arranged to deflect the forward end of the cartridge downward as it is moved forward by said rammer, said finger being supported for rotation about an axis arranged at one side of the cartridge and extending heightwise of the gun, and a spring for constantly urging the finger.

to an operative cartridge-supporting position, said finger being constructed and arranged to swing forward about said axis under pressure of the cartridge moved forward by the rammer and in cooperation with said deflecting surfaces to control dipping movement of the cartridge forced forward by the rammer in order to insure proper chambering of the cartridge in the barrel of the gun.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,842,446 Dabrasky Ian. 26, 1932 2,192,677 Hoagland et a1 Mar. 5, 1940 2,357,127 North Aug. 29, 1944 2,377,828 Trotter et al. June 5, 1945 2,397,501 Meyer Apr. 2, 1946 2,415,413 Burgess Feb. 11, 1947 

